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13 May 2012
Last updated at 12:52 GMT

Only 12 of the Leica 0-Series cameras survive

A prototype Leica camera has sold for 2.16m euros (£1.74m), setting a new world record for a camera.

It was one of just 25 models created in 1923 as a prototype for the groundbreaking Leica A, which was the first commercially successful compact camera to use 35mm film.

Branded the “null-serie”, or 0-Series, only 12 are known to have survived.

The camera was bought by an anonymous bidder at the Galerie Westlicht in Vienna, Austria.

Saturday’s bidding started at 300,000 euros, with an estimate of 600,000 euros.

But by the time the hammer fell, the bids had escalated to 1.8m euros. The remainder of the sale price included taxes and fees.

The prices such cameras fetch show the growing interest in early photographic materials.

The previous record was also held by a 0-Series Leica which fetched 1.32m euros. In 2007, that camera had been auctioned for just 336,000 euros.

Some of Oskar Barnack’s early test shots still survive. This one was taken in 1914

Leica was founded in 1849, specialising in the development of lenses and microscopes.

Optical engineer Oskar Barnack worked in the microscope division, but was a keen photographer in his spare time. Because he suffered chronic asthma, he longed for a lightweight camera that would be less cumbersome to carry around with him.

Seeing the potential of 35mm film – the same format used by Hollywood movies – Barnack designed personal prototypes for the Leica cameras in the years 1908-1923, and many of his shots from this period still survive.

After he brought the idea to his bosses, the 25 0-Series cameras were created for internal tests, and to discover whether other photographers would adopt the format.

Although the prototypes received a mixed reception, the company took a gamble and produced 1,000 units of the Leica A.

Notable for its collapsible lens, the camera went on sale in 1925. By 1932, about 90,000 Leica cameras were in use.

The company, based in Solms, Germany, remains a leading camera manufacturer today.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18050363#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

Four contestants go through to the semi-finals of The Voice and Johnny Depp and Tim Burton premiere their new film Dark Shadows in Japan.

Shabnam Mahmood has those stories and more.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10317943#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

13 May 2012
Last updated at 18:00 GMT

The band were formed in Battle, East Sussex

Rock band Keane have gone straight to number one with their latest album, Strangeland, giving them an unbroken run of five chart-toppers.

Only The Beatles managed more, reaching the top with their first seven albums – from Please Please Me to Revolver.

Keane’s latest release outsold its closest competitor, Emeli Sande’s Our Version Of Events, two copies to one.

In the singles chart, pop singer Rita Ora debuted at number one with her first solo single, RIP.

The 21-year-old, who was born in Kosovo but raised in London, knocked X Factor judge Tulisa down to second place.

Ora is no stranger to the chart summit, however, having provided vocals for DJ Fresh’s number one hit Hot Right Now earlier this year.

Rita Ora has been branded “the British Rihanna”

A former contestant on Eurovision: Your Country Needs You (she made the 2009 final, but pulled out) Ora is now signed to Jay-Z’s record label Roc Nation.

Her debut single features an all-star cast: It was written by RB star Drake, produced by dance act Chase and Status, and carries a guest verse from Tinie Tempah.

It has already sold more than 100,000 copies, making it the fastest-selling single of the year so far.

“I really, really believed in this song,” Ora told Radio 1′s chart show.

“It was the first track I had for my album when I started recording it, so I’ve been sitting on it for two-and-a-half years”.

Elsewhere in the singles chart, Alex Clare’s dramatic dubstep ballad Too Close continued its upward trajectory.

The track has climbed 36-16-6-5-4 over the last five weeks, after being featured in an advert for Microsoft.

Its success marks a turnaround in Clare’s fortunes – a month ago he was working as an estate agent after being dropped by his record label.

Continue reading the main story

• See the UK Top 40 singles chart
• See the UK Top 40 albums chart
• BBC Radio 1′s Official Chart Show

His album, The Lateness Of The Hour, has also jumped up the charts, rising from 22 to 17.

Meanwhile, Justin Bieber was responsible for two new entries in the singles countdown – as a featured vocalist on the Far East Movement’s Live Me Life, at number seven; and in his own right at 39 with Turn To You.

Along with his recent single Boyfriend, it means the teen pop star is responsible for three songs in the top 40.

Strangeland is Keane’s fourth full studio album. They also reached number one in 2010 with the Night Train EP.

Speaking to the BBC last week, singer Tom Chaplin described the new record as “very reflective”.

“Strangeland is the journey that we’ve all made,” he explained, “and sometimes it’s stranger than you think it’s going to be”.

Other new entries in the album countdown include Standing At The Sky’s Edge, the sixth album from Sheffield singer-songwriter Richard Hawley, which debuted at number three.

Indie group The Cribs, rapper BOB, Bajan pop quarter Cover Drive and Scottish troubadors The Proclaimers also scored new entries.

Rita Ora grew up near West London’s Portobello Road after her parents fled Kosovo during the war.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18051343#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

13 May 2012
Last updated at 08:27 GMT

It is believed the painting has been cut down from a larger canvas

An Oxford museum says it is “within reach” of preventing an oil sketch worth millions from leaving the UK.

The painting by French impressionist Manet is on display in the Ashmolean Museum while it continues a public appeal to raise the £1m still needed.

It has been exhibited only once since it was painted in 1868.

Susan McCormack from the museum describes seeing the sketch by Edouard Manet of his wife’s friend Fanny Claus in the flesh as simply “breathtaking”.

“It does have an impact on you because there’s something so stunning about it,” she said.

The 111 x 70 cm Portrait of Mademoiselle Claus had been sold to an unnamed foreign buyer for £28.35m.

But Culture Minister Ed Vaizey put an export ban on the picture until 7 August and it was offered to the museum minus tax at £7.8m.

Outstanding significance

The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest has declared the picture of outstanding aesthetic importance and significance for the study of French painting.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has made a £5.9m donation towards the purchase.

The museum has also been given £750,000 by The Art Fund and £200,000 from private individuals. Leaving a £980,000 shortfall.

Ms McCormack said: “It’s within our reach, it’s very tantalising, everybody’s very optimistic.

“It’s got an interesting history, it’s a study for one of the greatest impressionist paintings, The Balcony.

“Although he was French he belonged to everybody, he was particularly admired by artists rather than critics at the time.”

‘Controversial’

Manet was one of the first artists to paint modern life around him, the sketch of his wife’s friend Fanny Claus, a concert violinist is thought to be one of his earliest in this style.

Ms McCormack said: “It was originally a larger canvas, at some stage Manet cut it down, so there’s a bit of mystery – where that other canvas is no-one knows.

“Art historians get very excited about his use of pure white and pure black as hardly any other artists did that.”

It has been in a private family collection in the UK for 128 years since its purchase by artist John Singer Sargent.

Ms McCormack said of Manet: “Because he was quite controversial, people now call him the father of modern art.

“England was slow to collect impressionist paintings so there’s not a very strong collection across the UK so it’s important.”

The museum which has an online petition of over 1,600 supporters for the painting hopes to tour the artwork throughout the UK if it is successful.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-18031154#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

13 May 2012
Last updated at 17:35 GMT

Jeremy Renner, Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson are amongst The Avengers’ all-star cast

Superhero movie The Avengers has topped the US and Canadian box office for the second week in a row, taking $103.2m (£64m), studio estimates suggest.

The film is now the first in Hollywood history to ring up more than $100m in its second weekend of release.

It is the movie’s second record, after scoring the biggest-ever US opening weekend, with takings of $207.4m.

The blockbuster sees a team of Marvel comic-book heroes team up to fight an extra-terrestrial threat.

Johnny Depp’s latest movie is his eighth collaboration with Tim Burton

Among the cast are Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth – who have appeared in previous Marvel movies as Iron Man, Black Widow and Thor, respectively.

Globally, the film looks set to top the $1bn mark this weekend, distributor Disney said on Sunday.

The Avengers’ performance this week left Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s Dark Shadows standing in the dust.

Their spoof horror movie, which opened on Friday, made an otherwise-respectable $28.8m, taking second place at the box office.

Romantic comedy Think Like a Man finished in third place with ticket sales of $6.3 million.

‘Super-dope’

The Avengers was directed and co-written by Joss Whedon, creator of the TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Joss Whedon’s next project is an adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, filmed in his back yard

An Oscar-winner for his work on Toy Story, Whedon has had a notoriously rough decade – with TV series Firefly and Dollhouse cancelled, and his horror film Cabin In The Woods delayed by three years due to financial trouble at MGM.

After The Avengers took $207.4m in the US last week – the biggest opening weekend on record – Whedon posted a public letter on his website, thanking his supporters.

“Topping a box office record is super-dope,” he wrote.

“People have told me that this matters, that my life is about to change. I am sure that is true. And change is good – change is exciting.

“What doesn’t change is that I’ve had the smartest, most loyal, most passionate, most articulate group of – I’m not even gonna say fans. I’m going with ‘peeps’ – that any cult oddity such as my bad self could have dreamt of.”

Whedon also faced up to the fact that his box office success could soon be eclipsed by The Dark Knight Rises – the heavily-anticipated final chapter of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

“I will feel sad,” he admitted, “but let’s look at the bigger picture”.

“I can’t say this enough: This is not a zero sum game. Our successes, whoever has the mostest, are a boon to each other.”

Elsewhere in the US box office, The Hunger Games held on to the number four spot, bringing its total domestic takings to $388m.

Zac Efron’s romantic drama The Lucky One was at number five, while two British films took spots in the top ten.

Aardman’s Pirates! was at number six, taking $3.1m, while comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel jumped from 16 to eight, taking $2.7m.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18053563#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

12 May 2012
Last updated at 01:01 GMT

Prosecutors say two people contacted Stevie Wonder’s representatives

Two people have been arrested in the United States and charged with trying to extort money from the singer Stevie Wonder.

Alpha Lorenzo Walker and his girlfriend Tamara Eileen Diaz threatened to reveal “embarrassing information” about the star, officials in Los Angeles said.

Both deny the accusations and are in custody awaiting a preliminary hearing on 16 May.

A judge will decide if there is enough evidence for the two to stand trial.

LA district attorney spokeswoman Jane Robison said that Mr Walker contacted Stevie Wonder’s representatives and claimed to have embarrassing information about the musician.

Detectives organised a sting operation and the pair were arrested, she said.

Officials said Mr Walker had identified himself as a relative of Stevie Wonder.

Police have not released any additional details about the investigation.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-18044113#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

RB singer Usher talks to Matthew Stadlen about how a TV talent show helped him get started, the suggestive lyrics in some of his songs, why Michael Jackson was such a big influence on his career and preparing to play Sugar Ray Leonard in an upcoming film.

More from Five Minutes With…

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18034533#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

13 May 2012
Last updated at 09:27 GMT

Dunn (third from left) played on dozens of legendary soul records

Bass guitarist Donald “Duck” Dunn, who played with Booker T and the MGs, has died in Tokyo aged 70.

The MGs were the house band for Stax Records, and Dunn can be heard on songs such as Otis Redding’s Respect and Sam and Dave’s Hold On, I’m Comin’.

He was in Japan for a series of concerts, and had played two shows on Saturday night.

His friend and fellow musician Steve Cropper, who was on the same tour, said Dunn had died in his sleep.

“Today I lost my best friend,” Cropper wrote on his Facebook page. “The World has lost the best guy and bass player to ever live”.

Miho Harasawa, a spokeswoman for Tokyo Blue Note, the last venue Dunn played, confirmed he died alone early Sunday. She had no further details.

Famous fans

Born in Memphis on November 24, 1941, Dunn started playing bass at the age of 16.

“I tried the guitar but it had two strings too many,” he wrote on his website.

“It was just too complicated, man! Plus, I grew up with Steve Cropper. There were so many good guitar players; another one wasn’t needed. What was needed was a bass.”

His distinctive grooves underpinned dozens of hit records for the legendary Stax label – including Soul Man and Try A Little Tenderness. The MGs scored their own hit with Green Onions in 1962.

The MGs were so enamoured with The Beatles’ Abbey Road that they recorded their own version

“We were recording almost a hit a day for a while there,” he said. “But I never knew how popular that music was until I came to England with Otis Redding in 1967.”

That tour, which also featured Sam and Dave, Eddie Floyd, and Arthur Conley, was feted by Britain’s rock royalty – many of whom had been influenced by the Stax house band.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, John Mayall, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townsend, and The Beatles all attended shows and, according to legend, The Beatles sent limousines to pick up the Stax crew each night after the shows.

In return, Booker T and the MGs covered the entire Beatles’ Abbey Road album. Their version was called McLemore Avenue, which was the address of the Stax studio complex, and the cover mimicked the Fab Four’s famous zebra crossing photo.

The band later provided backing for the John Lennon solo track Beef Jerky.

In his later career, Dunn worked with the likes of Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart.

He played himself in the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers, and its 2000 sequel.

The MGs were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and Dunn received a lifetime achievement Grammy award in 2007.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18049583#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

13 May 2012
Last updated at 10:41 GMT

Kutcher made his name with hidden camera prank show Punk’d

US sitcom Two and a Half Men is to return for a tenth season, a year after Ashton Kutcher replaced Charlie Sheen.

The deal follows protracted talks between Warner Brothers TV, Kutcher and his co-stars Jon Cryer and Angus T Jones.

All will return with small pay rises, US industry papers reported.

Sheen was sacked from the show last year after criticising its producers and months of reported drug use. About 28.7m tuned in to see Kutcher’s debut.

It was the show’s highest-ever audience and, although figures settled after the initial interest, the series was watched by an average of 15m viewers, a rise of 13%.

The show’s creator, Chuck Lorre, is also responsible for comedies such as Dharma and Greg and The Big Bang Theory.

The show is broadcast by CBS in the States, and by Comedy Central in the UK

He admitted last year that he had considered cancelling Two and a Half Men following Sheen’s departure.

Instead, Kutcher was signed for a one-season contract. The actor explained: “The deal that we structured for the show was kind of a test deal: Can we get the show up? Can we get it going?”

The Hollywood Reporter says that, thanks to the show’s success, Kutcher will receive “slightly more” than the $700,000 (£425,526) per episode he is thought to have made last year.

His co-stars, who are paid less, will receive similar pay increases.

Last year’s series opened with the funeral of Sheen’s character, Charlie Harper, after he was apparently killed by a metro train in Paris.

Kutcher plays a heartbroken internet billionaire, Walden Schmidt, who buys Harper’s house after making a suicide attempt.

He will also be seen later this year playing Steve Jobs in a film biopic of the late Apple Computers pioneer.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18050063#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

13 May 2012
Last updated at 10:09 GMT

Dancing dog trick act Ashleigh and Pudsey have won ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, scooping a £500,000 prize.

Ashleigh Butler, 17, trained her pet to jump and dance for their elaborate routine, which was performed to Lalo Schifrin’s Mission Impossible theme.

Judge Simon Cowell said the pair were one of his “favourite ever acts”.

A peak audience of 14.5 million people tuned in to their win, said ITV. The pair, from Northampton, will perform at the Royal Variety Performance.

Butler cried when presenters Ant and Dec announced her win.

Continue reading the main story

“Start Quote

My life’s work is now complete”

End Quote
Simon Cowell

She said: “I just want to say thank you to everyone that voted for me, and I’m just so proud of Pudsey.”

Butler hugged her dog and said: “I love you.”

She said Pudsey – a border collie, bichon frise and Chinese crested cross – had become “very diva-ish” during the last week, and had been demanding steak dinners.

The act had not been the bookmakers’ favourite to win

The teenager trained the dog to jump, dance on his hind legs, and weave between her knees. Over the course of the series, the act have performed three separate routines.

Responding to their win, Cowell said: “My life’s work is now complete”.

‘Special moment’

Earlier, he had told the duo: “I adore both of you. You have got better and better as the competition has progressed and to do what you did in such a short time is a miracle.”

Panellist and comedian David Walliams said the dancing dog act was “extraordinary”.

He added: “The nation has fallen in love, not just with Pudsey but with you too.”

Ashleigh and Pudsey managed to beat the favourites, teenage opera duo Jonathan and Charlotte, from Ilford, Essex.

The duo, who came second had performed The Prayer for the final.

Jonathan and Charlotte followed in the footsteps of Susan Boyle by taking second place

Earlier in the series – during their first audition – Cowell suggested Jonathan should go solo.

But after Saturday’s performance, Walliams said: “That was sensational. That was your best performance yet. It was so heartfelt, it was so professional.”

Charlotte was not upset at being a runner-up, saying: “We came second out of 70,000 people, it’s incredible, it’s been amazing.”

Only Boys Aloud, a 133-strong choir, came third after a rousing performance of Calon Lan, a song often associated with Welsh rugby.

Judge Alesha Dixon praised the boys, aged 14 to 19, for sticking with tradition.

She said: “That was a really special moment. I could feel the passion coming from every single one of you.

“I commend each and every one of you and I am so glad that once again you chose to stick to your tradition and sing something Welsh.”

Cowell added: “I got emotional listening to a song I didn’t understand a single word of – not a word of it – but I could tell how much it means to every single one of you, individually.”

Judge Amanda Holden said the choir should open the Olympics

‘Already made it’

The show was kicked off by boy band The Mend with their version of the David Guetta and Usher track Without You.

The group had been voted back on to the show as a wildcard.

David Walliams called Molly Rainford’s song “astonishing”.

Judge Amanda Holden said their performance was “fantastic”.

Among the other acts Molly Rainford, 11, sang a moving rendition of Beyonce’s ballad Ave Maria.

She told told Ant and Dec it was a “dream come true” to perform in the final.

Other finalists, in what the judges described as one of the strongest ever line-ups, included singers Ryan O’Shaugnessy and Sam Kelly, Welsh dance group Nu Sxool and synchronised swimmers Aquabatique.

Dancers Kai and Natalia struggled with an injury during their final performance, while the band Loveable Rogues gave a strong performance of original material.

Simon Cowell described the trio as appearing like a group who had “already made it”.

The live final came after 60,000 auditions and five semi-finals.

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-18048792#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa